Tyler Perry Offers Geoffrey Owens a Job Following Cosby Show Actor’s Public Shaming

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“That was kind of cool,” Owens told the program. “I mean, that kind of sounded like he was saying, ‘Come work with me.’ I’m so, like, skeptical. Like, really? Are you actually saying come work with me? Because we’ve never worked together before. So, that’s a very, very generous thing for him to say. And we’ll see what happens with that. But, that’s encouraging.”

EARLIER: Tyler Perry has a job for Geoffrey Owens.

The Cosby Show actor was revealed to be working in a New Jersey Trader Joe’s last week when the Daily Mailand Fox News published photos of him bagging groceries. Following the hubbub around the news and Owens’ appearance on Good Morning America, multi-hyphenate Tyler Perry is offering Owens an acting gig.

“#GeoffreyOwens I’m about to start shootings OWN’s number one drama next week! Come join us!!! I have so much respect for people who hustle between gigs. The measure of a true artist,” Perry tweeted on Tuesday morning. Perry was referring to the highly rated OWN drama The Haves and Have Nots, which is currently airing its second half of its sixth season.

#GeoffreyOwens I’m about to start shootings OWN’s number one drama next week! Come join us!!! I have so much respect for people who hustle between gigs. The measure of a true artist.

It’s possible Owens might not want the job though. At least, not without an audition. Appearing on Good Morning America on Tuesday morning, Owens said, “I wouldn’t mind getting auditions … but I wouldn’t feel comfortable with someone giving me a job because this happened. I want to get a job because I’m the right person for that job.”

FULL INTERVIEW: @GMA EXCLUSIVE — “There’s no job better than another…every job is worthwhile…” Actor Geoffrey Owens speaks out, responding to job shaming and backlash after a photo of him working at a grocery store was posted online: https://t.co/0wZJnpowI9pic.twitter.com/aNiG5fV2yf

While Owens thanked fans and fellow actors and others in the entertainment industry for the outpouring of support he’s received since the news first broke, he added, ““No one should feel sorry for me. I’ve had a great life. I’ve had a great career. I’ve had a career that most actors would die for. So no one has to feel sorry for me. I’m doing fine!”

Owens worked at Trader Joe’s for 15 months, but said he had to quit over the recent attention. He’s best known for playing Elvin Tibideaux on The Cosby Showfrom 1985 to 1992. He has since appeared on a number of shows, including Divorce, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Secret Life of the American Teenager and Built to Last.